Handbook of Adolescent Health Risk Behavior / Edition 1

by Ralph J. DiClemente, William B. Hansen, Lynn E. Ponton

Overview

Adolescence is a developmental period of accelerating physical, psychological, social! cultural, and cognitive development, often characterized by confronting and surmounting a myriad of challenges and establishing a sense of self-identity and autonomy. It is also, unfortunately, a period fraught with many threats to the health and well-being of adoles­ cents and with substantial consequent impairment and disability. Many of the adverse health consequences experienced by adolescents are, to a large extent, the result of their risk behaviors. Many adolescents today, and perhaps an increasing number in the future, are at risk for death, disease, and other adverse health outcomes that are not primarily biomedical in origin. In general, there has been a marked change in the causes of morbidity and mortality among adolescents. Previously, infectious diseases accounted for a dispro­ portionate share of adolescent morbidity and mortality. At present, however, the over­ whelming toll of adolescent morbidity and mortality is the result of lifestyle practices.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306451478
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	01/31/1996
Series:	Issues in Clinical Child Psychology
Edition description:	1996
Pages:	440
Sales rank:	775,331
Product dimensions:	7.01(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.04(d)

About the Author

DiClemente, Ralph J., PhD (Univ of Alabama at Birmingham); Hansen, William B., PhD (Bowman Gray School of Medicine); Ponton, Lynn E., MD (UCSF)

The contributors represent the specialties of psychology, psychiatry, adolescent medicine, pediatrics, epidemiology, social work, and criminal justice. Most are from U.S. academic institutions. Institutions prominently represented include UCSF, UCLA, Univ of Minnesota, Washington Univ (George Warren Brown School of Social Work), Univ of Maryland, and Rhode Island Hospital.

Table of Contents

Adolescents at Risk: A Generation in Jeopardy; R.J. DiClemente, et al. Trends in Adolescent Morbidity and Mortality; C.W. Sells, R.Wm. Blum. Theories of Adolescent Risktaking; V. Igra, C.E. Irwin, Jr. Tobacco Use; C.L. Perry, M.J. Staufacker. Disordered Eating; L.E. Ponton. Alcohol Use; M. Windle, et al. Drug Use; W.B. Hansen, P.M. O'Malley. Suicide and Suicidal Behavior; Y. Cohen, et al. Unintentional Injury; I. Lescohier, S.S. Gallagher. Delinquency; D.C. Gottfredson, et al. Violence; A.R. Stiffman et al.. Pregnancy; C. Stevens-Simon, E.R. McAnarney. Sexually Transmitted Disease including Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection; L. D'Angelo, R.J. DiClemente. Runaways and Homelessness; M.J. Rotheram-Borus, et al. Academic Underachievement and School Failure; J. Sikorski, et al. New Directions for Adolescent Risk Prevention and Health Promotion Research and Interventions; R.J. DiClemente, et al. Index.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Andrew Sherman, MD (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)
Description: This book is a comprehensive survey of current clinical and research literature on adolescent health risk behavior. The first group of chapters focuses on general issues in the area of adolescent risk-taking, including epidemiology and physical, psychological, and financial costs. The next group of chapters addresses specific risk-taking behaviors (i.e., alcohol use, tobacco use, delinquency), discussing the behavior's prevalence, risk factors, prevention, and treatment strategies.
Purpose: The purpose is to "describe epidemiologic trends associated with specific risk behaviors, assess the broad array of preventive strategies, and evaluate the efficacy of treatment modalities." The authors make a strong argument for the need for this handbook by pointing out that the majority of adolescent morbidity and mortality is the result of risky "life-style practice."
Audience: This book will be especially useful to both clinicians and researchers dealing with adolescent behavior problems. In addition, educators, policymakers, and public health workers would be interested in much of what is discussed in this volume, especially the numerous discussions of prevention. The multidisciplinary group of contributors are highly knowledgeable in their respective fields.
Features: The book includes informative and well-placed charts and graphs. References are current and pertinent and are listed at the end of each chapter. There is a detailed subject index at the end of the book.
Assessment: The strength of this book is that it successfully conveys the interrelatedness of many adolescent risk-taking behaviors and provides an excellent starting point for developing and evaluating treatment and prevention strategies that are sensitive to these commonalities and co-occurrences. One weakness in the book's scope and organization is that there is not enough distinction drawn between the dynamics of adolescent behavior engaged in primarily because it is risky and adolescent behavior that develops for other reasons and often leads to a health risk. This is especially apparent in the chapters on eating disorders, school refusal, teen pregnancy, and suicide. However, this one weakness does not detract from the overall strength and usefulness of this volume.

Doody's Review Service

‘A first-rate resource for adolescent health risk behavior.'
Contemporary Psychology, 43:1 (1998)

From the Publisher

Reviewer: Andrew Sherman, MD(Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)
Description: This book is a comprehensive survey of current clinical and research literature on adolescent health risk behavior. The first group of chapters focuses on general issues in the area of adolescent risk-taking, including epidemiology and physical, psychological, and financial costs. The next group of chapters addresses specific risk-taking behaviors (i.e., alcohol use, tobacco use, delinquency), discussing the behavior's prevalence, risk factors, prevention, and treatment strategies.
Purpose: The purpose is to "describe epidemiologic trends associated with specific risk behaviors, assess the broad array of preventive strategies, and evaluate the efficacy of treatment modalities." The authors make a strong argument for the need for this handbook by pointing out that the majority of adolescent morbidity and mortality is the result of risky "life-style practice."
Audience: This book will be especially useful to both clinicians and researchers dealing with adolescent behavior problems. In addition, educators, policymakers, and public health workers would be interested in much of what is discussed in this volume, especially the numerous discussions of prevention. The multidisciplinary group of contributors are highly knowledgeable in their respective fields.
Features: The book includes informative and well-placed charts and graphs. References are current and pertinent and are listed at the end of each chapter. There is a detailed subject index at the end of the book.
Assessment: The strength of this book is that it successfully conveys the interrelatedness of many adolescent risk-taking behaviors and provides an excellent starting point for developing and evaluating treatment and prevention strategies that are sensitive to these commonalities and co-occurrences. One weakness in the book's scope and organization is that there is not enough distinction drawn between the dynamics of adolescent behavior engaged in primarily because it is risky and adolescent behavior that develops for other reasons and often leads to a health risk. This is especially apparent in the chapters on eating disorders, school refusal, teen pregnancy, and suicide. However, this one weakness does not detract from the overall strength and usefulness of this volume.

This book is a comprehensive survey of current clinical and research literature on adolescent health risk behavior. The first group of chapters focuses on general issues in the area of adolescent risk-taking, including epidemiology and physical, psychological, and financial costs. The next group of chapters addresses specific risk-taking behaviors (i.e., alcohol use, tobacco use, delinquency), discussing the behavior's prevalence, risk factors, prevention, and treatment strategies. The purpose is to ^^describe epidemiologic trends associated with specific risk behaviors, assess the broad array of preventive strategies, and evaluate the efficacy of treatment modalities.^^ The authors make a strong argument for the need for this handbook by pointing out that the majority of adolescent morbidity and mortality is the result of risky ^^life-style practice.^^ This book will be especially useful to both clinicians and researchers dealing with adolescent behavior problems. In addition, educators, policymakers, and public health workers would be interested in much of what is discussed in this volume, especially the numerous discussions of prevention. The multidisciplinary group of contributors are highly knowledgeable in their respective fields. The book includes informative and well-placed charts and graphs. References are current and pertinent and are listed at the end of each chapter. There is a detailed subject index at the end of the book. The strength of this book is that it successfully conveys the interrelatedness of many adolescent risk-taking behaviors and provides an excellent starting point for developing and evaluating treatment and prevention strategies that are sensitive tothese commonalities and co-occurrences. One weakness in the book's scope and organization is that there is not enough distinction drawn between the dynamics of adolescent behavior engaged in primarily because it is risky and adolescent behavior that develops for other reasons and often leads to a health risk. This is especially apparent in the chapters on eating disorders, school refusal, teen pregnancy, and suicide. However, this one weakness does not detract from the overall strength and usefulness of this volume.

Andrew Sherman

A multidisciplinary group of researchers and clinicians offer a variety of perspectives in describing the epidemiologic trends associated with specific risk behaviors, assessing an array of preventive strategies, and evaluating the efficacy of various treatments. The first chapter discusses "a generation in jeopardy." Subsequent chapters address theories of adolescent risk-taking behavior; tobacco, alcohol, and drug use; disordered eating; suicide and suicidal behavior; violence; delinquency; pregnancy; running away and homelessness; and academic underachievement. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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